Rewarded for all our hard work!

After months of training and collecting those precious donations of £5 per session a couple of us fortunate few were beginning to gather our thoughts for what lay ahead! We were preparing to visit Watoto in Uganda, a children based charity which placed kids into homes.

After 2 and half months of waking up early and bracing the cold we had managed to raise over £700! A little short of my initial dream of £2000! However I knew this wasn't the end of Sweat and if there were willing participants I would continue visiting the park and raising awareness and funds for the children!

In an attempt to raise additional funds Lisa designed some stylish T-shirts & hoody's! In our eagerness and optimistic naivety we over ordered and I'm still left with a few! However I'm adamant that if I get out there a little more they will be snapped up in no time - so folks if you would like to support these kids then let me know cause these T's are soon to become hot property - watch this space!!

Cost: £10 - all proceeds go to the kids!! ALL

Sorry where was I, oh yes Uganda - 15 of us slowly came to our senses that we would soon be shaking hands and playing with these kids who we had been running around and sweating for!! We would be spend 2 weeks in one of the most beautiful African countries working and living amongst some of its people!

Working: One of our objectives was to build a house (building) in one of Watoto's villages! We had 5 days to complete the basic brick work of a decent sized single story building! None of us being builders this was always going to be an interesting task! Thank goodness we weren't left to our own devises and we supported by a gang of local folk who were machines!! We thought we had developed a little back bone during bootcamp - well I can tell you we had nothing on these guys and ladies - that's right there were ladies there putting us to shame!! We soon realised why we were there and started building close bonds with them and left the final QA checks and brick work to them and rather bring a little fun to what must have been the most beautiful building sites I have ever seen!!

In the beginning

If you know what a London winter is all about then you can imagine the dedication that was required to be there week in week out!

Encouraging emails were sent out on Thursday and again on Friday willing eager folk to do their best to make it down to the park come rain or shine!!

Its for the kids!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How else do you motivate folks to get up early when its cold and wet outside and they have had a long week and the last thing they feel like doing it getting out of their comfortable beds and heading down to a cold and muddy park where they knew they were going to get worked!

I had to keep reminding myself that the reason folks were there was to get exercise - I wasn't there to make friends - that was the responsibility of those taking part!! Sweating together in the mud and rain draws people together like nothing else! Unique bonds form when we are pushed out of our comfort zones - something special happens when you are exposed to the elements - your true character is revealed!!

There were moments when we were so wet and cold that the only way forward was to keep pushing in attempt to increase the blood flow and in doing so increase our body temperature! This was not for the faint hearted - the dedication and resilience shown down in the park on Saturday mornings is something that goes beyond what someone in their right mind would do! The only thing I can put it down to is the team spirit and unique bond that was being formed by those doing something else for something bigger than themselves!

Seriously it might sound cliched but when we are pushed beyond our comfort zones for someone else we can only walk away receiving from that experience! When one focuses outwardly and looks beyond oneself we go beyond what we would usually do as an individual!!

Great work team I can't thank everyone enough for your commitment and dedication! All I can say is that the winter is on its way it if we really won't to make a difference and do something for these kids then our time is fast approaching!!

Bring it on I say - hopefully there are others out there who feel the same way!

What its all about

Sweat - do we do enough of it and why we d0 it!

Is it en route to work while stuck in a packed tube or on the way back after a hectic day! Or is it slumped over a exercise machine at the gym where it starts to collect beneath you and could drown a small baby!

When I think exercise; I think wide open spaces, I think fresh air, a place as far as I can get from anything mechanical! I unfortunately I would have to travel a long way to get out into the beautiful countryside. We are however very fortunate that London has many amazing parks in which we can stretch my legs and build up some SWEAT!

Who do I sweat for - for myself? Or is there possibly someone else who I could be sweating for??

After much persuasion a friend of mine invited me to test British Military Fitness which took place in the park - I was hooked immediately and thought this is brilliant but wow these guys are rolling in it - 10o's of folks would turn up morning & night to sweat for some one else who was kicking back and enjoying their hard earned sweat!!

Well I knew I could take on the challenge, the exercise is something I love and would do it regardless - however there are folks out there - children who don't have food on their plates and I knew and seen projects in action putting food on their plates! It didn't take me long to realise that we could SWEAT for these children!

How simple yet so profound, both I and these starving kids would benefit, or even if they weren't starving they might have a dream which one day they might be able to reach due to us putting a little more in during our exercise session!

And so Sweat was born!!